Snow Cone Under Development

The [R]ed[U]x Lab team led by Lily and Diana were very eager and quick to get things started especially given that they were notified all of one month before the actual deadline that their design was selected. Working with Frank and the DFZ to iron out details and logistics, the team was able to assemble a host of assistants from their Architectural Science colleagues all across the undergraduate program. These projects within the Department tend to not only showcase to the world our students' incredible design and technical skills, but also bring the students all together into a greater family.

Thanks to Everyone

Thanks to everyone from Ryerson University, FCAD, the Design Fabrication Zone, our generous hosts, the Bata Shoe Museum, and of course all the great volunteers who were instrumental in literally putting this project together! It proved to be a great success and we look forward to more initiatives like this in the future.

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And of course the requisite selfie from the First Year volunteers...

The coverage of the 2013 Nuit Blanche work at the Bata Shoe Museum

In performing a quick survey of the work done by the [R]ed[U]x Lab, there are some great highlights to serve as a reminder to all the teams that their work was appreciated by the public:

According to CTV News, Ad Astra was among the "10 things to see at the art-after-dark show":

"6. Light_Scape by [R]ed[U]x Lab at the BATA Shoe Museum, 327 Bloor St. W. This installation will grow organically the more people interact with it. Easy to handle cubes, each containing tri-colour LED that cycle through several colours, can be moved about. The cubes stick together with Velcro to create a whole new scene."

From the Torontoist:

"At the Bata Shoe Museum, the interactive audio project Ad Astra lights up the entrance. Strings of white lights contain a chrome ball which, when touched, plays a different instrument in the background song. The downside of it being mesmerizing: people are walking slowly through the narrow halls."

From Bazis' website, the Bata Shoe Museum was noted as one of the "Four must-see Nuit Blanche exhibits in Yorkville"

From SheDoesTheCity, the Light_Scape project was selected as one of their favourite pieces of the evening:

“This tactile installation relies on user interaction to grow organically. Each user contributes to the evolution of the Light_Scape, by altering the appearance of the surface. The Light_Scape consists of individual, easy to handle cubes, each containing a tri-colour LED that cycle through a spectrum of colour. The modular shape of the light cubes allows the user to freely explore limitless configurations and patterns. The cubes and subsurface are covered with Velcro, giving them the strength to defy gravity. The Velcro’s fuzzy texture diffuses light and produces a soft pulsing glow, which when accumulated, creates the illusion of a living organism.”

One thing that should be mentioned is that absolutely NONE of hte projects done by the [R]ed[U]x Lab would have been completed had it not been for Blaine and Frank's invaluable assistance in the production of all these projects!

The Return of the Cart

After 48 hours in the Honest Ed's parking lot, the [R]ed[U]x Lab team's cart came back to the Department of Architectural Science.  Naveed and Frank ensured that it got back safely and in a seemingly suitable coincidence, another graduate [R]ed[U]x Lab team member, Jordan, came back to help bring the cart back into the ARC building.

Time Lapse of the Final Assembly of the Night Market Cart

Here is a brief time lapse of the [R]ed[U]x Lab Team assembling the bottom of the cart and putting the top canopy atop the base.  The lighting was then installed for good measure to see the effect of the grid structure relative to the brightness of the LED's.  It was a long night but the team pulled it together and demonstrated once again the students' initiative and pride in their work.

The Transport and Deployment of the Night Market Cart 2013

This morning the tireless [R]ed[U]x Lab team shipped out their cart design to the Honest Ed's parking lot site.  The team had enough foresight this year to make the cart such that it would be deployable by breaking it into two pieces (the top canopy and the bottom counter component) for easy shipping in the moving truck and simple assembly at the site.

Nestled among other cart designs, the [R]ed[U]x Lab cart will be facing the East such that its illumination will be emphasized as the shadow of the surrounding buildings serves as a backdrop.  The team also had to insert the serving modules for the evening in the cart and as you can see, they did it with ample time to spare... so much that they could go for a coffee break...

Let's just hope that the lighting effects will pan out as the initial design proposal had anticipated!

An apprentice with the Light side

With the cart 1:5 scale model, the [R]ed[U]x Lab team has been able to investigate various design features including structure and ergonomics.  At the same time, this provides a quick mockup opportunity for designing the lighting conditions within the cart.  Based upon the basic design premise that the cart's illumination becomes more evident as the night progresses via the removal of the serving elements, the team has investigated how the lighting would look and be wired through the cart.  Unlike last year's cart which had a subdued red tone, this year the team will be investing in a cooler white light that will coordinate well with the LED's in the serving units. Here are some images of Ariel and Frank testing out the lighting configurations (don't worry, the scale model is deceptive as the tape lighting makes the cart look incredibly bright, if not radioactive!).